Raise your hand if you grew up on Hamburger Helper. 🖐 Yeah, me too. :) This Beef Taco Pasta is like a homemade version of your favorite childhood dinner in a box with a southwest spin. It has ground beef, a cheesy tomato sauce, green chiles, pasta, a healthy dose of taco seasoning, and tons of delicious comfort all in one bowl. Plus, it all cooks in one pot, which makes dinner time so fast and easy. #WIN
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What Kind of Pasta to Use
I used small pasta shells this time around because that’s what I had on hand, but I originally made this recipe with egg noodles. You can use other short pasta shapes as well, keeping in mind that you may need to simmer slightly longer or for less time depending on the type of pasta used. Rotini and penne are also good options.
What Else Can I Add to Taco Pasta?
This is my favorite part of any recipe. I love rummaging through my fridge or pantry looking for leftovers that can be added to whatever I’m cooking to make sure nothing I buy goes to waste. Here are some other ingredients that you can add to your Beef Taco Pasta that would also taste great with this flavor profile:
- Jalapeños (fresh or pickled)
- Sour cream
- Avocado
- Black olives
- Black beans
- Pickled red onions
Swap Out the Meat
This recipe is super flexible, so if you want to use a different type of ground meat, like ground turkey or ground chicken, that would work just as well. Likewise, you could use a vegetarian ground beef alternative, or just skip the ground beef altogether and replace it with a can of black beans. So many options!
One Pot Beef Taco Pasta
Servings 6 1.3 cups eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1/2 lb. ground beef ($3.00)
- 1 packet taco seasoning* ($0.67)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.79)
- 1 4oz. can diced green chiles ($0.67)
- 1/2 lb. small pasta shells ($0.50)
- 2 cups beef broth ($0.26)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ($1.15)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.20)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a deep skillet or wide-bottomed pot. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft.
- Add the ground beef and taco seasoning and continue to cook and stir until the ground beef is cooked through.
- Add the diced tomatoes (with juices) and diced green chiles (with juices) to the beef and stir to combine.
- Finally, add the pasta and beef broth and stir to combine once again. It's okay if the pasta is not fully submerged under the broth.
- Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Allow the broth to come up to a full boil. Once boiling, give the pasta a stir, place the lid back on top, and turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Let the pasta continue to simmer, stirring every few minutes and always replacing the lid, for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender. There should be some thick saucy liquid left in the pot once the pasta is cooked.
- Add the shredded cheddar cheese and stir until it has melted into the sauce. Top with sliced green onions and serve!
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
How to Make Beef Taco Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add them to a deep skillet or wide-bottomed pot with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft.
Next, add ½ lb. ground beef and one packet of taco seasoning (or homemade taco seasoning). Continue to cook over medium until the ground beef is cooked through.
Add one 15oz. can diced tomatoes (with juices) and one 4oz. can diced green chiles (with juices).
Add ½ lb. pasta shells (uncooked) and 2 cups of beef broth. Stir everything to combine. It’s okay if the pasta is not fully submerged in the broth.
Place a lid on the skillet or pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a full boil, give the pasta a stir (put the lid back in place), turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the pasta continue to simmer, stirring once every few minutes and always replacing the lid, for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
Once the pasta is tender there should still be some thick saucy liquid left in the skillet.
Add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese to the pasta and stir until it has melted into the thick tomato sauce.
Top the cheesy taco pasta with sliced green onions and serve!
So good! I loved this comfort food.
Not bad. Thank you!
Just made this tonight and I also used your taco seasoning recipe. It was very good. Definitely a keeper. Probably might add black beans next time.
I’ve made this several times now using either Impossible or Beyond ground beef, and it’s perfect with those substitutes. My family enjoys and even gets excited about me making this. Thanks so much for this recipe that’s joined my go-to list!
Tastes great and is very doable on a weeknight. Doubles easily and freezes well. I added black beans for some fiber. It would be a great vegetarian option if you replace the meat with black or pinto beans. Honestly you could do a lot to customize this with whatever you have on hand. This will become a regular in my rotation!
Very tasty! I made this as written except no green onions. The cayenne pepper was just right for me! I’ll make this again and again. Thank you!
I know that every budgetbytes recipe is really good, but this one really blew me away. It’s SO good and so easy. I added a can of black beans in addition to the meat, as well as some frozen corn and a poblano pepper. This one’s definitely going into the rotation!
Made this vegetarian with a can of pinto beans, instead of hamburger, and it was so delicious!!
Everyone in my house said it was delicious. All I had for taco seasoning was mild so I amped it up with chili powder and cumin. Also put in a (very) few pickled jalapeno peppers. For cheese did half cheddar and half monterrey jack.
For anyone that has made this, is a half pound of meat and a half pound of shells really enough to feed six people? Would love to try this, but I don’t want to short-change my teenagers; nor do I want a metric ton left over!
The full recipe makes around 8 cups of finished pasta. (1.3 cups per serving.) Only you know if that’s enough to feed your family, but I’d suggest, since you typically buy ground beef and pasta in 1 lb. quantities, it would be very easy to double the ingredients. You could also freeze any leftovers! — Marion:)
You’ll definitely want to at least double the recipe.
Kids request it weekly…love it !!
I love this recipe, it’s been a staple of mine for years now!
I do prefer following the old version though, just for having the spices listed out in the same recipe–is there a chance I could have it emailed to me?
Of course! What is the best email to send it to? XOXO -Monti
Hi, I entered my email address when commenting, but just in case that doesn’t show up: imas(dot)lisa(at)gmail(dot)com
(Please delete this comment once the recipe’s been sent too, thanks!)
Do you mean the ingredients for your own taco seasoning?
Yes.
https://www.budgetbytes.com/taco-seasoning/
For some reason, the ratings don’t seem to be sticking with the new site, so I am trying to rate with stars again.
For some reason, the star ratings don’t seem to be sticking on the new site, so this is the rating with my review.
Very soothing comfort food – like an upscale Hamburger Helper. I used the BB recipe for taco seasoning, and it was plenty flavorful.
This was awesome. I subbed the beef for ground chicken, chicken broth for veggie, and used Violife mozzarella cheese (vegan) and it turned out soooo good! My bf had some the first night we made it, but then I ended up eating the rest for leftovers. :P I did use both small and medium sized shell pasta (using up old stuff in the pantry), and I think the medium ones worked just as good as the small if anyone is worried about that. Love this recipe, thanks Beth!
Perfect meal for a college student! All in one pot and it’s very quick. Makes plenty to store for later. I love this recipe and make it when I have company over!
hits that sweet spot of good, cheap, fast, easy, and using mostly ingredients that can keep for a long time in the pantry. I usually throw a jalapeno and beans in there too.
I like your recipe. I would like to try on this weekend, Thanks for sharing it.
Absolutely scrumptious! Thanks for a great recipe!!
This is one of the first recipes I’ve tried and my husband and kids, who are picky and hard to please loved it!!!! I did too-just as described, like Hamburger Helper but healthy, fresh and delicious!!!
I’ve been depressed and my appetite has been shot, but I made this tonight and it really hit the spot. I followed the recipe exactly but used vegan alternatives for the beef/broth/cheese.
Thanks for the great recipe, Beth.
This was good. A few things in case anyone was debating what to do with this recipe’s quantities like I was.
1) I used the full pound of beef. It wasn’t overly beefy with the 1/2 lb of pasta and the 2 cups of broth still cooked the noodles just fine. 2) Because of the extra beef, I used about 1.5x the amount of taco seasoning. I used Beth’s recipe and just did heaping scoops of each ingredient. Plenty of flavor. 3) I used extra sharp cheddar and probably closer to 2 cups of it to make sure it tasted cheesy enough. 4) I used fire-roasted tomatoes. 5) If you want to make it a bit creamier, stir some sour cream in it. I did it post-serving, but you could do before too.
This was good. A few things in case anyone was debating what to do with this recipe’s quantities like I was.
1) I used the full pound of beef. It wasn’t overly beefy with the 1/2 lb of pasta and the 2 cups of broth still cooked the noodles just fine. 2) Because of the extra beef, I used about 1.5x the amount of taco seasoning. I used Beth’s recipe and just did heaping scoops of each ingredient. Plenty of flavor. 3) I used extra sharp cheddar and probably closer to 2 cups of it to make sure it tasted cheesy enough. 4) I used fire-roasted tomatoes. 5) If you want to make it a bit creamier, stir some sour cream in it. I did it post-serving, but you could do before too.
This was good. A few things in case anyone was debating what to do with this recipe’s quantities like I was.
1)
I like most of Beth’s recipes, but this one, while certainly not offensive in any way, was nothing special. I don’t know if that’s because I used a low sodium taco packet when I usually use Beth’s taco seasoning recipe (we added salt at the table). Also, I used fire roasted tomatoes since that’s what I had, or it would have been even blander. The three of us who ate it all agreed.
Just wondering if this would work in an instant pot? I would think you would need to reduce the liquid slightly, so as not to make the pasta mushy. Otherwise it looks like it would work out. Has anyone tried?
There’s probably a way to do it, but I haven’t tried cooking pasta in an IP, so unfortunately I can’t offer a recommendation.
This was absolutely delicious!! I made it with some bison and doubled the recipe :-) In fact, I think I’ll be retiring my decade old pasta recipe after using this one!!
I made 12 servings and I have never frozen cooked pasta before. Can you please help me figure out how to do it so we can enjoy it for many meals to come?
It should freeze well, and keep for up to 6 months, if you make sure to do it in portion sizes. If using a freezer bag, make sure to take out all the air. If using a container, place a layer of plastic wrap right on top of the pasta, to make sure that it isn’t exposed to air.
we made this a month or so ago and its really good. we double the recipe – and quadruple the meat – we’re currently making double the batch for my family because we love it so much.
This is sooooooo good! Adding it to our weekly rotation!
Did this recipe change from the previous beef taco pasta? I like the original one that didn’t call for packet taco spices and used egg noodles. Maybe they taste the same. Glad I printed out the original- just in case
I did change it slightly. I used the same taco seasoning (it’s linked to the homemade recipe) but listed it as just “taco seasoning” to make sure people knew that you can either make your own or use store-bought. We always keep a pdf of the old versions of updated recipes, in case you ever want or need it. :)
My partner and I loved this recipe. And mine came out true the photos too, which never seems to happen with online recipes.
I used veg mince in mine but kept everything the same.
I rate it a 9/10
My meat eating partner rated it an 8/10
Simple, delicious and pleased 4 adults easily! We joked that this is grown up Hamburger Helper, but way better. It took about 24 minutes for the pasta to cook to our liking and I was amazed at it cooking with so little liquid. Game changer!
Delicious! I used a full pound of beef because I wasn’t sure what to do with the other half a pound. My family loves all your recipes!
This is great. Made it last night for dinner and couldn’t wait to have another bowl for lunch today! How long will this keep in my fridge? 4 days?
The length of time that things last in the refrigerator can vary depending on so many things, but in general I keep cooked food for about four days.
Mine turned out like soup. Were the juices supposed to be drained from the Chiles and diced tomatoes? Might be a typo in the recipe.
Logan, I’m sorry, and also unsure why that happened. The recipe has been tested multiple times, and no one else has said anything about soupy results. You should not drain the tomatoes or the chiles. The uncooked pasta should soak most of the liquid up. Without having been there with you, all I can theorize is there must have been a mistake in measurement. Make sure you use the right size cans of tomatoes and chiles and that you used the right amount of uncooked pasta. The elevation could also be an issue, though higher elevation usually requires more water, not less. If you try it again (and I hope you do, it’s really yummy) and you see that there is too much liquid, you can always leave the top off and allow the steam to escape, and the sauce will reduce. XOXO -Monti
Yummy!! It’s soo delicious. I would like to try it on this weekend!
So good! We had this as we usually have hamburger helper (served on top of mashed potatoes). It was so good. Everyone went back for seconds.
Made this over the weekend (with a few substitutions and additions) and it tasted so comforting and good. Thinking of making it again this weekend.
I didn’t have canned green chillies so instead I got some pickled jalapeno slices from a jar to chop up and added that and a bit of the pickling liquid. I also chopped up some zuchinni and sweet peppers to add.
Planning on making the vegetarian version with black beans and extra vegetables next time I cook for coworkers too.
This was so delicious!!! Very easy and quick to make. I already had a lot of the ingredients in my kitchen cabinets. Thank you!
It’s rare that I find a recipe that my entire family likes but this is a favourite! I double it to allow for leftovers as it reheats well also.
I first tried this back in 2014 when I first found your site and since then we’ve modified it to our tastes. My now 10 year old has loved it every time I make it. Most of the time, I swap out the meat for black beans, but no matter how I make it, my children LOVE taco pasta.
Great recipe, it is very familiar but with less salt and sugar than the box stuff.
I know it sounds lame, but pasta with beef is a classic that you can eat every day
pasta with beef is a classic that you can eat every day
I must have used some extra spicy taco seasoning, but it was still yummy. I was craving something like this…cheesy, beefy, noodle-y. This was so far beyond Hamburger Helper. I would definitely try this again and will substitute lower fat cheese and extra lean ground beef. Yummmmy!
This has been one of our easy favorites for a while, but recently we added crushed Fritos to the top and it really takes it to the next level!
I only had 6 oz egg noodles so I reduced the beef broth to 1.5 cups and it worked well, had to simmer a couple extra minutes. I also used 8 oz ground beef and 3 oz cheese and thought the ratios were good. Oh and subbed a 10 oz can of rotel.
Quick, easy, delicious.
Thanks!
Just made this with leftover taco meat! Worked great
Would this work with rice?
Yes, you could probably do something very similar with rice. :)
This is a great, easy weeknight dish. For a vegetarian option, I used the Beyond Meat crumbles. I added them in 4 min before it was done cooking. Worked out perfectly.
Another surprisingly delicious recipe. I left out the cayenne, but I’m gonna try this again with it.
Delicious! I made this using ground turkey, added in a drained can of black beans and stirred in 3 oz low fat cream cheese at the end instead of using the cheddar. My meal prep this week is yum thanks to your recipe. Thanks!
Can I substitute the egg noodles for a different noodle? Any suggestions?
You can use a different small shaped pasta, just keep in mind that other types of pasta may absorb liquid at a different rate, so you may need to adjust the liquid or cooking time to compensate.
I’m not good at improvising in the kitchen, but this is an excellent recipe to mess around with. I had never made egg noodles before, but it turned out great. Makes me want to try other things with it since it worked out so well. I used ground turkey and some green bell pepper. I decided to leave out the cheese and it was still SO GOOD.
I always say this, but it’s another fantastic recipe! It’s a really quick recipe and a great recipe to have everything ready in your pantry (and one thing in your freezer/fridge) for lazy days or days when you don’t have much time. I’m vegetarian and made it with ground beef soy crumbles, which my husband couldn’t tell that it wasn’t beef. I also made it with taco seasoning instead of the individual seasonings. This is another recipe going into regular rotation in our house.
I tried making this today and after 10 minutes of it simmering, I still have plenty of liquid. I had to drain it out. Other than that this recipe was perfect. Any tips on getting less liquid? I’ve followed the recipe to the tee.
It may just be that your pasta for whatever reason absorbs less liquid than the pasta I used, so you can try starting with a little less liquid.
This recipe is so good. I make it frequently. I use gluten free pasta, which seems to work well. Tonight, I didn’t have beef, but I had chorizo, and used that, and it came out really good!
I think this might be a good candidate for the instant pot. How would you tweak the broth amount and timing?
Hmm, I’m not sure how I feel about doing pasta in an instant pot. I feel like it would make it mushy. I haven’t tried making anything like this in the pressure cooker yet, so unfortunately I can’t offer any guidance.
Favorite recipe so far from here! No cayenne (I’m a huge ninny) and I thought it was just wonderfully flavorful. I think a dollup of sour cream would have gone very well, but it is great without. I had a can of black beans on hand and chucked them in since I only had half a pound of hamburger, and they were just the perfect addition. Very filling, very delicious.
This was delicious! I made a bunch of changes though. I had several leftover cooked hamburgers from a BBQ, so I crumbled up the pre-cooked meat and added it at the same time as the tomatoes. Instead of pasta I used black bean rotini from Trader Joe’s which tasted great with the mexican theme and was healthier than pasta I did not cook them in the same pot because I knew it would get too mushy (black bean pasta if overcooked turns to mush), instead did it separately and added at the end. To compensate I only added several tablespoons of water and a bit of beef bouillon. I added a full bag of fresh spinach at the end that wilted down nicely.
No cheese or onions or olives because I didn’t have them but it didn’t matter. Great dish! I even added a spoonful of guac on top of my bowl.
no GREEN onions, I had the other onions and they were essential.
Wow… this is by far our favorite recipe <3
Thank you soooo much for this. We love it
So good! Didn’t need the cayenne, it was plenty flavorful without. Left out black olives to save a buck. Aren’t crazy about them anyway. Makes 4 servings. Will definitely make again! Yum!
This is good with a rotisserie chicken. Just add it when you add the tomatoes. It’s great with ground beef too. One of my go to week night recipes.
Being a college student, I am always looking for comfort food that I can make. Then freezing whatever is left and be able to eat it when ever. The cost is also perfect since I have a food budget. I love tacos and pasta so this is a great combination. I might have to add some more spice since I like my food spicy!! I cannot wait to try this!!
You’re right… this is definitely comfort food! Even though it’s sort of hot and humid here in Cali right now, I thought I’d give this a try. It came out great, a combo of Hamburger Helper and spaghetti but with good flavor. Keep up the one pots!
Made this last night — subbed whole wheat rotini for egg noodles, and it still cooked up fine using the “one pot” method. Kids really enjoyed it, though said the meat was a little spicy — think my tomatos w/chiles was “medium” instead of mild. Fast, easy and eaten makes this a winner in my world! Thanks for a great recipe!
This is delicious!!!! I’m learning how to cook, and I followed all the steps….and my family loved this meal.
Thank you for sharing your recipes :)
I’ve made this twice now. I use leftover taco meat so I skip all the steps up through the meat. It’s a great way to use up the leftover taco meat. I used separate cans of diced tomatoes and chilies the first time and a can of total the second time-both work great. I also added some avocado on top before serving, just because we had some. Thanks for the recipe!
Super easy, super affordable and no complaints from anyone! Used rotini since I have no egg noodles.
I’ve made this twice in the past 5 days, and it was amazing both times. Great recipe, easy to follow instructions, and DELICIOUS to boot. What more could you ask for? I’ve made several of your recipes since I’ve stumbled upon your site, and everything has been yummy. Thanks so much!
A can of Rotel, not total! Lol.
Hi Beth. I want to make this recipe but I couldn’t find green chiles. What do you recommend instead? Thanks!
Rotel
I used sliced pickled jalapenos from a jar that I diced, plus a little of the juice from the jar, and it worked out very well.
This is my second round with this dish. I brown the ground beef and remove from pan, saute’ garlic and onion in remaining grease. Follow the rest of the recipe as written in the one pot. I do add the cayenne, in fact I quadruple it, and toss in about a quarter teaspoon of ancho and chipotle for extra depth toward the end. Easy, delicious, quick.
I am in love with this site! I made this last night and OMFG it was so good! My insanely picky 3 year old daughter ate every last bite in her bowl and even asked for more! I’m not a broke college student but a broke mom trying to feed her family on a tight budget. I don’t know how we would eat this well without this site.
Made this for dinner tonight, 2 pots since my husband doesn’t eat cheese, and both were delicious! This is definitely a keeper!
Did you just omit the cheese or replace it with something? Was it still good, I imagine it wouldn’t be as creamy?
We made this for dinner tonight. I left out the chilis and olives since we didn’t have any and it was still delicious! Served all 4 of us with a bit leftover. Many thanks!!
We had this for dinner tonight, oh my word, it was delicious! I really love all your one pot recipes, makes cleaning up the kitchen a breeze! I am in a recipe sharing group on Facebook, and lately almost every recipe is a link to your blog. I can’t wait to get your cookbook!
BETH! Another glorious success, made this for dinner and it was so unbelievably good. I’m not even sure WHY it was so fantastic but it was. I mean amazing. I wanted to eat all of it!! Thanks!
Flawless!
Excellent! I followed the recipe exactly as written. Will definitely make again.
made a double batch last night for 6 adults and 5 kids. this was a huge hit and super easy to throw together.
only changes i made was to add a can of rinsed black beans and one of corn.
I made this about 2 months ago and immediately froze out portions for a nice quick meal after a busy day.
I unfroze my first one tonight and I literally licked the bowl clean it was so delicious. I added a big dollop of refried beans beforehand since I had some extra when I was making freezer burritos at the same time (which are also freaking fabulous)!!
Mmmmmmm, mmmmmmm, mmmmmm! Eating this as I type… so good! You *never* disappoint, Beth – hands down, my favorite food blogger. Thank you!
This was delicious, made it tonight. My house smells soooooo good!
Tnxxx bet i really love ur recipe
Thanks! Everybody loved it!
Loved this recipe! I should have followed your advice on holding off on the the cayenne. My kids thought it was a little spicy. Oops! Also I used ground turkey and chicken better than bouillon because that is what I had on hand. Yum! I will be making this again
I made this mid week and loved it.. I used lentils instead of beef.. I love how those little things smell as they are cooking.. I love all your recipes Beth… :)
This is one of my favorite BB recipes I’ve made. I souped it up with some fresh cilantro, a few bites of avocado, and sour cream (all things I had on hand that needed to be eaten up). Yum! Thinking about subbing black beans for the ground beef next time I make it.
I used Lentils this time and it was great.. I am sure Black Beans would also be yummy… :)
So I am experiencing with this recipe because I dont eat beef so I used tofu instead and I used veg broth and I used gluten free pasta instead of the egg yolk noodles so we will see what happens! It smells amazing!
Successful! My whole family, including kids ate it and liked it. Thank you.
My dog loves my cooking. My kids not so much. So imagine their surprise when I served them something they rated as a 4 out of 5. Personally I would have given this a 6 out of 5 it was that good. Threw in a can of black beans and a can of corn. I will definitely be making more of your recipes.
OMG I made this the other night but I totally made it vegetarian but subbing 2 cans of black beans for the beef and veggie broth for the beef broth….SO FREAKING GOOD :D
It cooked up in 10 mins because I wasn’t waiting to cook the beef and the beans helped make it creamy before I even added the cheese. <3 your recipes!
Thank you Rebecca B for how to make this dish vegetarian! I saw this recipe and instantly wanted to make a vegetarian version. Dinner was excellent tonight!
I love that bowl with the little handles. Where did you get it?
They are from World Market – They have the most fun and interesting selection of dishes!
Made this tonight and it was awesome!! Thanks for the great recipe.
Made it last night and was AWESOME! So good I ate it for breakfast too and shared the recipe with some friends. Will be making this again and again
Made it. LOVED it!
Had to sub a few things: didn’t have the full amount of chili powder so used what I had and added some ancho chile pepper powder. Used the Rotel tomatoes with chiles. Chicken broth ( I made 9 quarts over the weekend ). Didn’t have egg noodles or elbows so I used medium shells.
It was YUMMY! Best of all…I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow ( and only one pot to wash tonight! ).
Thank you for another winner.
So how spicy is this, with a can of green chiles? I’m super sensitive to spicy stuff, but that also means I’ve lost all ability to estimate on behalf of others eating my food.
So….chiles. Essential? Optional?
Well, it just depends on the chiles. I’ve had some that are spicy and some that are 100% mild. The brand I bought this day had NO heat whatsoever. Sometimes it will say on the label whether they’re mild or hot. If you buy a can of Rotel tomatoes (diced tomatoes with chiles), those are usually quite spicy. I do think their flavor added a lot to the dish, though.
Have I told you how awesome your site it? My college senior is learning to cook by “reading the pictures”! Thanks!
Making this for dinner tonight….I’ve been craving Tacos and the mans been wanting Pasta!
Thank you for solving my “What to make for dinner tonight” dilemma! This is right up my oldest daughters alley. She will love it.
I too have frozen beef in my freezer but I never quite know how to proceed with recipes when I start with frozen meat. What is your preferred method for defrosting the beef before adding it to the pot? Or do you add it to the pot frozen and let the stove do the work?
Thanks!
This is what I do: I place the beef (still in its package) in a bowl, then put it beneath the faucet and let a small stream of cold water flow over it, filling the bowl. I know, it’s not the most environmentally friendly (sorry), but it doesn’t take long, and it’s a safe way to defrost it effectively
.
If you think about it ahead of time, you can just pop it in the fridge the night before to thaw (that’s what I did). I have in the past put frozen ground beef right into the skillet… it takes much longer to brown, obviously, and you kind of have to sit there and scrape off layers as it thaws and browns :P But it works in a pinch.
No egg noodles right now. I’ll try it with elbows.
Oops. No elbows either! I’m going to break up lasagne noodles!
This looks pretty good- I have most of the ingredients already! i’d have to cut out the cheese though- my bf hates cheese (so sad, I know) but i’m sure it would still be delish!
OMG, this looks heavenly!!! Going to make it soon. Pasta anything is awesome, especially with all those great flavors~! Thanks for sharing. Hope you are feeling better!! Sue
$10+ for a homemade “hamburger helper”? lol. I think this might be the most expensive recipe I’ve come across on your site.
But it’s real food – not fake colors, chemicals, and sweeteners pretending to be food.
I almost put a comment at the end about how it makes a larger volume than hamburger helper, just because of that! ;)
I’m moving very soon and have all of these ingredients except the meat and beef broth.
The beef is easy to obtain but the beef broth not so much where I live. I already have chicken broth. Would that change the flavor too much? If I use chicken broth, should I substitute the beef for chicken?
Any insight would be appreciated!
Love your site. Keep up the good work!
I think chicken broth will still work well.
Thanks. I went ahead and made it before your comment and my head told me chicken broth, so use chicken. So that’s what I did. I also only had penne, substituted olives for black beans and corn and forgot to add the cheese.
I was able to add some sour cream which is definitely recommended.
All in all, it came out tasty and very simple to make, especially the one pot. I will definitely try again with beef and beef broth when I relocate and get settled.
Thanks as always. Keep up the great work!
Looks delish and I’ve pinned it to try later. I did want to mention a small typo tho (I only mention it because it’s in the recipe-clip section)…. the first note mentions making brother and I figure you probably meant making broth.
Hahah, thanks ;)
Notes
*I use Better Than Bouillon soup base to make my brother rather than using canned or boxed broths. It is much less expensive.
The brother typo made me laugh…and consequently my roommate is now side-eyeing me for laughing out of nowhere at my laptop and all it was showing was a bowl of food. ;)
Hahaha, well if I’m going to make a typo, I’m glad it was such a funny one! :D
>>>>>I use Better Than Bouillon soup base to make my brother rather than using canned or boxed broths. It is much less expensive.
Are you sure that’s what you want to say? Hahahahaha.
Hahhahaha, I wish that it made a good brother! One that would do my laundry and clean my bathroom…